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International Workshop on the Use of Coal Ash in Agriculture, Bet Dagan, Israel – May 2014

The enhancement of soil fertility by the addition of ash, the product of burning plant material, was practiced by many native civilizations from time immemorial. Likewise, coal ash can be and is used to great advantage in modern agriculture and can become, as a low-cost raw material, an important tool in the fight of mankind against the looming global food crisis.

Although the potential of coal ash for beneficial use in agriculture was demonstrated by experiment and practice the world over, a number of concerns were raised regarding the addition of the ash to agricultural fields. These concerns range from the possible enhanced uptake by plants of unwanted trace elements to the presumed risk of groundwater contamination and long term deleterious effects on soil productivity.

The workshop, with participation of experts from many countries, was dedicated to discussion on the following issues:

The potential possibilities inherent in the unique properties of coal ash for soils improvement and for improving crop yield.

The environmental and health aspects of the use of coal ash in agriculture and in soil preservation and improvement and systematic assessment of issues of potential concern.

To read a document reviewing the workshop’s background and its agenda, press here
To read a summary of the workshop’s presented studies, press here
To view the workshop program, abstracts, presentations and video lectures, press here
To read a paper with concluding remarks for the workshop, press here

The Israeli National Coal Ash Board (NCAB) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection are conducting a workshop exploring various perspectives of the environmental and health aspects of the uses of coal ash, with the participation of leading experts in relevant fields from Israel, Europe and the United States.

The aim of the workshop is to establish and maintain a knowledge base required for the determination of

Environmental criteria and testing and control methods for the use of coal ash;

Occupational hygiene requirements for the work with coal ash;

Environmental standardization for the use of coal ash.

The workshop is assembled periodically over the years, in line with progress made in NCAB’s research program.